"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

--Winston Churchill

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

A Celebration of Meryl Streep

It's Complicated was released on DVD today so I thought it only appropriate to celebrate the ever fabulous Meryl Streep and her life in movies. Here are my top five favorite Meryl Streep performances:

"Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the Earth was made round so that we would not see too far down the road." --Karen Blixen, Out of Africa

Twenty-four years ago Meryl Streep and Robert Redford starred in Sydney Pollack's masterpiece Out of Africa. Now my all-time favorite film, this movie is a piece of art in and of itself, but it is Meryl Streep's performance as Karen Blixen, the Danish woman who moves to Kenya and marries her friend for the title of Baroness that grabs us from the very beginning. Streep's accent is flawless and her chemistry with Redford is magnetic. I can't leave out the fact that I turn green with envy at the thought of the scenes she had with him...but we'll just leave that out of the picture. This is a must see.

Just the mere thought of Miranda Priestly's stilettos clacking down the halls intimidates me. And that is because of Meryl Streep's impressive performance as the demanding and merciless editor in chief of a prestigious fashion magazine in The Devil Wears Prada. I feel the fear Anne Hathaway's character feels in every cringe-worthy scene they share together. I read that some of that fear was real, as Streep used method acting for the role, and hardly talked to Hathaway and her costar Emily Blunt on the set. Now that's a true actress!

There is only one word I can give for Streep's performance as the culinary icon Julia Child in Julie & Julia: flawless. I can confirm this statement after watching footage of the real Julia Child and I almost thought they were the same person. Streep's exuberant and vivacious performance almost makes me want the whole film to be about Julia Child. I remember watching Amy Adams on Good Morning America when she was promoting the film and after they showed a clip of the real Julia Child Amy Adams said that it took her a while to realize it wasn't Meryl Streep. Acting perfection.

Streep's portrayal of a country housewife caught up in a whirlwind affair in Bridges of Madison County is heartbreaking and poignant. Streep's performance is so real and emotional that you connect with her character on a higher level than you might expect. I felt her character's emotional battle within herself and was brought to tears with her heartbreaking decision at the end of the movie. Though the movie is hard to watch, it is well worth it for both Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood's stirring performances. The very fact that these two hollywood greats share the screen is enough to make this classic a must see.

When I thought Meryl Streep couldn't be any more talented, she blew me away with her performance as the mother of the bride who is suprised by three unexpected visitors in the musical Mamma Mia! Meryl Streep...musical?! Yes folks, she can sing and dance too. And really well. Wait for the song, The Winner Takes it All and you will see what I am talking about.

Rent It's Complicated and let Meryl once again suprise you with her winning comedic chops. She is truly acting's finest.

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About Me

I'm a twenty-four year old graphic designer/artist/movie and fashion enthusiast with a heart for South Africa and its people. I'm teaching at a wonderful boarding school for three months so keep up with my adventures in my own Out of Africa story here.